In a matter of minutes fire can consume a lifetime of memories and treasures. Our homes are our refuge from the world, a place of comfort and joy and yet we often invite the potential for fire into every room. These hazards may be a physical object but they can also be a result of our actions and habits. Knowing the risks and how to avoid them can help ensure you and your home stay safe.

Fire needs only the slightest opportunity to burst to life: an overloaded electrical outlet, a forgotten cigarette, a spark from a fireplace, a dishcloth touching a stove element. In fact, your home may contain dozens of unnecessary hazards. One of the best ways to identify them is to inspect your home room by room using the following checklist.

Bathroom

It may surprise you to discover that a bathroom can contain fire hazards! In fact, it's our efforts to be beautiful that often the culprits. Consider hair spray. Like most aerosol sprays, hair spray is highly flammable. Make sure that no heat source such as a curling iron or open flame such as a candle is nearby. Aerosol spray cans pose another danger - they can explode with great force if they get hot.

Nail polish and polish remover are both highly flammable and release fumes that can be ignited if exposed to flame or heat. Be equally mindful when handling and disposing of the cotton balls soaked in polish or remover.

Some disinfectants such as toilet bowl cleaner can also be flammable - finally a new way to kill toilet germs! On second thought, it may be wiser to keep cleaners away from heat or flame and stored out of reach of children and pets. Natural cleaners tend to be less caustic and hazardous.

Never use appliances near water. If they come in contact with water, the result can be sparks or potentially an electrical fire.

Kitchen

I once had a neighbour whose shrill smoke alarm served as the dinner bell in his family! If excessive smoke is a common occurrence in your home take a few moments to examine your cooking area. Remove any food that has dropped into the stove element or on the bottom of the oven.

Do not hang dish clothes near your stove as they may fall onto hot elements. Cloths hung over the oven handle may be an invitation for curious children to pull down on the oven door.

Check the cords on all appliances for wear and fraying. Department stores often offer repair service.

Wear tight sleeves when cooking. Loose-fitting garments can catch fire.

With limited space many of us store cleaning products in the kitchen. Floor and furniture polishes, spot removers and oven cleaners can ignite if exposed to heat or flame. Store these items as far away from appliances as possible.

Buy a fire extinguisher for your kitchen and store it in somewhere handy between two and three metres away from your stove. Take a moment to read the instructions- if a fire does start in your kitchen that knowledge will save valuable seconds.

Living Areas

Most living areas have a television, VCR, DVD, stereo, and/or computer. To avoid overloading outlets, plug your appliances into one or more circuit breakers. If there is a problem with your electronics, a lightning strike or a power surge, the circuit breaker can help prevent an electrical fire.

Allow plenty of air space around electronics particularly around the back vents and cords.

If you smoke, check the areas you have recently used for any ashes before going to bed. Hot ash on carpet or in couches can smolder many minutes before beginning to burn.

Each light fixture is designed to use a light bulb of a specific wattage. Use light bulbs with wattage at or below the maximum prescribed by the manufacturer.

Bedrooms

Candles add ambiance and induce relaxation. Unfortunately many people have fallen asleep with candles burning to awake to fire or worse, they are overcome with fumes from a fire and never awake. Ensure that candles are placed in sturdy candleholders with bases wide enough to catch the wax. Always set them up on a solid, flat, heat-resistant surface.

Smoke detectors should be tested regularly to be sure they are functioning correctly.

Keep a working flashlight next to each family member's bed.

Check for overloaded outlets, extension cords and heaters that are too close to combustible materials.

If you smoke, do not smoke in bed.

Basement

Basements typically house a furnace and a hot water heater both of which are sources of heat that could ignite vapours from flammable liquids. Fumes can accumulate to dangerously high concentrations in poorly ventilated basements. Paint, paint thinners, gasoline, candle oil and other such items should be stored outside of the house in a shed. Always store flammable liquids in properly labeled containers with tight-fitting lids. Avoid glass jars, which break easily releasing dangerous fumes. Any rags used for cleaning these liquids should also be stored in a sealed metal container.

Hobby Shop or Work Area

Our hobbies and household chores often involve paint and varnishes, electric saws, sanders and a variety of chemicals. Together these items provide fuel and fire. Add the pile of newspapers and rags nearby and the results can be tragic. Be sure to store turpentine, mineral spirits and other solvents, oil-based paints, stains and varnishes, and charcoal-lighter fluid in sealed metal containers. Discard of rags, newspapers and other debris surrounding the work area.

Fire can be the most destructive force of nature to affect our homes. By taking a few moments to review the hazards in your home, your memories and your treasures will stay safe for years to come.